I turned off my computer, freshened up and stepped outside.
Ananya was at her desk.
She had put her hair up in a messy, sexy bun. A loose strand of hair grazed her cheek. She flicked it away absentmindedly. Her teeth were digging into her lush bottom lip as she focused on the screen in front of her.
I should’ve been nicer to her. Snapping at her, even during an argument, was dumb.
I leaned against her desk. ‘I’m craving Anna Dosa for dinner and then a nice walk on the beach.’
‘No, you’re feeling guilty for fighting with me,’ she said. ‘I trust your decision-making skills, especially when it comes to business. I don’t agree with this one, but I understand it,’ she murmured. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘That was a disagreement at best. It’s water under the bridge.’
‘And I know you don’t want to go out. You want to go home and prepare for tomorrow.’
Warmth sluiced through my veins. ‘You know me well.’
‘I do.’ She smiled.
‘Walk out with me?’
‘I’m not done yet.’ She made a face. ‘I’m going through the summary of next quarter’s predictions. Could you take a look? Finance has approved it, but something isn’t adding up.’
I circled behind her and leaned down to look at her screen. It seemed fine to me. ‘What’s the problem?’
‘The numbers show profit, but also say we’re going to be negative in cash flow. How is that even possible?’
I gave it another quick read. ‘Profit is earnings on paper, but cash flow shows how much money we actually have to spend. They’re two very different things. It’s negative because of the investments we’re planning to make in Rivaayat.’
When I turned to her, she was watching me. Her eyes had an undeniable hunger.
‘I see you’re distracted right now,’ I murmured. ‘I’ll teach it to you in depth later … in a way you’ll remember.’
She inhaled sharply. ‘Excellent idea.’ Her gaze dipped to my lips. ‘Seriously. How do you smell so good after a twelve-hour day?’
‘You always smell amazing to me, too. It’s pheromones,’ I murmured, sliding a hand under the desk to stroke her thigh. ‘Studies suggest that people who are more biologically compatible smell better to each other. It’s nature’s way of matching pairs.’
‘I love it when you tell me things I don’t know. Makes you sound smart. And hot.’
‘So, you’ve got a professor–student fantasy?’Very interesting.‘Good to know.’
Her hand gripped mine, her nails digging in. ‘What are you going to do about it?’
Fuck. I needed her. All I wanted was to claim those lips and have them scream out my name. ‘Come over, and I’ll show you.’
‘The presentation?’
‘It’ll be fine,’ I rasped. ‘But I won’t be if I don’t have you tonight.’
16
The Perfect Chai
Ananya
Three seeds of cardamom, two strands of saffron and a clove.
After making Jai’s chai every day, twice a day, it had become muscle memory. In the mornings, before the rest of the office came to life, the rhythmic movements were therapeutic. Those few minutes to myself became a much-needed source of energy before the workday kicked off.
